8 yr later and this I still the best video on this.

I truly appreciate your Soaping 101 videos. I have learned so much and gained a lot of confidence from watching them. I very much like the way you break things down and explain them so well. Even when you explain calculations such as for masterbatching, or calculating how much soap a mold will hold, you keep it easy and follow it up with showing the application of what you are explaining. And I also appreciate your rate of speech in these videos. You speak slow enough that I can take notes, but quickly enough not to become tedious to listen to. Thank you again for the time you spend, the quality of your videos and for sharing your knowledge with us.

As an experienced soapmaker, I want to thank you for posting such fabulous tutorials. There is so much misinformation out there. I will be directing all my students to your channel!!

Cathy I always make each batch as I go, so when you had stated you can replenish the extra needed amount of water with milk (due to the lye being cool at room temperature) this method just makes better sense so that the milk doesn't burn. I just made 5 new soaps the other day and I would have tried this method but it gives me something to look forward to now. Especially to save time. What a joy it is to have you Teaching us. Can't wait for part two Happy Thanksgiving and big Hugs :)

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Be careful when adding the milk Deb because the solution may heat up again. I would suggest you add super cold or slushy milk (: I wish you the happiest of turkey days ever!

@bytheSEAsoaps

10 жыл бұрын

soaping101 Would it be good to add the milk at light trace?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

bytheSEA Soap Mella Yes, that is my preferred method.

Just WOW!!! Thank you for sharing all that you do. You are truly amazing and priceless!

Excellent video. Thank you so very much. This is gonna save me a looot of time! you are the best Cathy!

Your videos are so informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. This is a gift to all up and coming soapers!

This is the best explanation and application of the 50/50 lye solution I've reviewed. Thank you!

Thank you so very much. This is amazing and I am sure will be useful. Always always love love love your wonderful videos. You are an inspiration.

This is the first time that I have understood masterbatching. You do have a way of making things simple to understand. Thanks!

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

So glad I was able help you (:

I swear I love you you are so awesome with soap making it I'm glad you're teaching 101

Awesome! I am going to have to try this! Thanks Cathy! Bye for now, Lori

Thank you so much Cathy, you have removed the fear of making a mistake. So simple :)

Thank you Cathy it will make things so much easier I was concerned about storing Lye water properly. Nice Video Happy Turkey Day!

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

You can do this {cheers Cindee on}

Thank you so much for this information! can't wait for the oils video. Have a great holiday

You make the mundane exciting and the complicated tasks simple!

thank you so much for explaining this! Brilliant!

Brilliant! Thank you for this time saver!

Great video! I have thought about trying this sometime.

Being new to soaping, I never knew this was even an option. Thanks.

Gracias, es excelente!

Best explanation!

Love this chanel

Awesome! Thank you so much!

What a time saver!! Thank you. :)

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I love all your videos! I've learned so much in such a short time. Would you consider doing a video on how to recover from a seized batch? I haven't had this problem yet, but as I am experimenting with scents, I'm sure to run into this problem at some point. I'd like to respond by remembering what you taught me. :)

Thank you so much.

Nice tip, thank you!

Thank you SO very much!

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

You are most welcome!

You amaze me.

brilliant! thank you x

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tiggy :)

Thank you!

Very informative, Thank you Cath for sharing :) "Hugs" x Mariella x

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Hugs to you M!

OHHHH SOOOOO Cool!!!! I needed this in my soaping life!!! Thanks so much. Will masterbatching soft oils be coming soon?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Yes, next week.

awesome!

Thank you

Thank you Cathy, I used ice from fridge to make the 50/50 solution but distilled water otherwise - should I start over?

Thank you for this video! I’m an old returning soaper from yahoo groups! I was just wondering if there is anything wrong with discounting to a 50:50 ratio in a recipe?

Hi, like the video, thanks, one question, I was doing a 50/50 lye solution, but I was short 2 oz of lye , what do I do?

hello, Thanks for all your videos, they are so helpful! I tries mixing lye and water, 1:1. I weighed the resulting solution, and it does not ad to 2, but a little more than 1.9. I imagine so water turned into steam. Is that possible? what's your opinion? Shall I simply add water to go up to 2, and then proceed ? Thanks!!!

Thanks for the video, great? In a simpler term, do you mean example if I'm doing a 1000grm of oil, it should be 50% lye and 50% water of the 1000gram of oils?

i think there's a more simple way : The ratio water to Lye is always approximately 2.45 ; you should simply choose whatever volume of distilled water/liquid you want for your Lye master-batch and divide it by 2.45 to know how much lye you should add to it. and that's it. once your making a recipe you'll have to mesure the total lye-water mix needed directly from your lye master-batch without adding anything.

@StaceyWilsonRE

7 жыл бұрын

Have you tried this method? Makes sense too.

@missylee5

5 жыл бұрын

The point of doing it this way is to leave room so you can add milks, yogurts, purees, etc as these are subtracted from your water portion. Also, most soapers use different amounts of water for different recipes. For example, you usually soap with a water discount but are making a batch with intricate swirls or working with a FO that accelerates, this would require full water.

Do you think the lye solution could be refrigerated (in a soaping refrigerator) once sealed and perhaps stored for one week longer?

May I ask are did you calculate the lye and the water to get the 4.41 and 10.56?

i love you. you are awesome

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Right back at ya kiddo!

Thank you for this video. Can I add Sodium lactate to a fresh batch of lye. In other words while its still hot. I see people add it once cooled. Why is this?

Hi. I'm new to soap making. I understand well the concept of masterbatching. My question is: if I use my 50/50 lye solution the following day, should I warm up the solution or apply the heat transfer method? in other words, is it ok to warm up the lye solution? Thank you for your advice and your time.

What if you don't want to add the extra water for the purpose of creating a soap for shorten cure time? Would this be okay?

shouldnt lye be hot when blended with oils??? and did u say a week or within 8 weeks of storing lye before it gets weak??? many thanks.

when adding water with ice to the container, how do you measure the ice...isn't it heavier than just water? just wondering...thank you.

Thanks so much for the video but I feel like I must be missing something. My favorite recipes have a fair amount of hard oils and I soap at 120-130 degrees. How do I control the temp of the masterbatched lye water to match the oils?

@hellokitty2022

9 жыл бұрын

Not to worry. When you add the missing liquids, the lye heats up again. Mine got to 180 degrees when I added the addtl water.

Thank you so much for the video. I have a question - when making CP soap, our lye water temperature has to be within 10º of the temperature of our oils. Can we simply heat this up in the microwave to get it to the temperature we need?

@AJoyForeverBathBody

5 жыл бұрын

Definitely don't want to reheat lye water. When you add additional liquid for your recipe - remember she added an extra bit of water later to make up for the amount not covered in the original solution - it will heat the lye back up naturally. Usually to 150 - 200 degrees.

I am interested in making soaps. Is there any books and tools tou recommend for me to start out with?

So I'm assuming that using 2x the lye water gives you a 33% lye solution, then by adding more water, you go down to a "full" water amount with no discount

OMG you made this look so easy!

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Silly, lol

Hi Cathy! I met you at the HCSG 2018 conference and really loved your class and you are just adorable anyway. You make this look so easy!! But I do have a question. In this video you used ice water to help cool the lye solution. Since ice weighs less than water, how do we determine the proper weight of ice? Should we weigh the water ahead of time and then freeze it prior to making the solution? Would really appreciate your insight/tips. Thanks again :-) Love Soaping 101!!

@bemk78

6 жыл бұрын

That would only be a problem if you used volume to measure the water. The weight of water required is the same wether on liquid or solid form. So if you weight the ice it will occupy a larger volume than when melted, but the weight is the same.

Hello Cathy, I like watching your videos, thank you very much. Sorry for my English, I use a web translator. I prepared a 50/50 basis, not based on weight but on the amount: 2 cups / 2 cups. I just look for use my base is not liquid, but gelatinous. Is it because of the amount used? is that I can use? Thank you, Louise (Montreal, QC)

@lisao3041

5 жыл бұрын

use weight and not volume for your measurements. Maybe the measuring cup weighs more than 8 ounces making the solution too thick.

I've always heard that your lye and oils should be around 100-120 degrees. If you store the lye and use it cool does that cause a problem? Love all your videos btw.

@traceyturner100

7 жыл бұрын

I was wondering the same thing? Can we heat it up ? I LOVE all your videos too btw. So helpful and informative.

When mixing the equal parts lye to water. Is that by weight or by volume?

It seems quite complicated to me. I really want to try soap making . I love to combine essential oils, herbs, flowers. I infuse oils, vinegars and liquor and it is great to use as gifts and to use myself. I think I'll try melt and pour first. I do appreciate how important your tutorial is though, for me I would want to do that so that I had the hard part done so I could focus on the aesthetics, texture and scents.

@lisao3041

5 жыл бұрын

then just make the lye solution as you go. This is for big soap makers who maybe don't want to wait for the solution to cool down. I make mine in a ball jar and throw it in the freezer to cool it off. Doesn't take long.

How do you heat up the lye when you’re ready to use it?

so 50 /50 so if i put 32 oz of water i put 32 of lye ? i weighed the lye and water so basically 2lbs of each

When is the best time to add scent?

I burnt my private areas with this recipe. Perfect!!!

Cool

How long can I store the 50 /50 mixture with cold water please?.

First I have to say that I love your videos its very insightful and knowledgeable. My question is what lye is good to use the food grade micro beads or the potassium flakes . Thank you. I'm having a hard time deciding which one to buy to make my first batch of soap.

@BakingNana

10 жыл бұрын

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is used to make solid soaps. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) is used to make liquid soaps. Lye does not need to be food grade. Technical grade works fine for soap.

Always wanted to learn how to do this. Is this considered pre mixing and pre measuring?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Sure, it could be called that as well.

"Equal amount" - in grams? (or ounces) - I ask because sometimes liquids are measure in mls.

For the lye do we always multiply by 2?

Hello, thanks for the video, i wss looking for this! Question, on the video when calculating the amount of lye of the recipe and the lye solution masterbatched, it said to doubled the lye, and that ammount to be weight on the cup, but when you weight it, it was still the amount on the recipe. Am i missing sonething? Shouldn't it be weight 8.82 oz?

@Drewx2x2

Жыл бұрын

OMG I've been looking through the messages for someone else who noticed this as well! I think, yes, the scales should have weighed 8.82 and it was an error that nobody except the observant (us) noticed. Have you used this method with success?😆

How do you heat it to have equal heat of oils and lye water

I know this is an older video, but how do you handle water discounts with this? Do you subtract the desired percentage amount from the water/liquid that you add to the masterbatched lye solution? For example, in your video, you added 6.15 oz. water. If I wanted to do a 20% water discount for my soap, would that amount then be 4.92 oz.?

@RoseAndThornCustomCreations

6 жыл бұрын

If you use a soap calculator (I use soapcalc) you can input your water discount at the amount you want, then it alters the water weight accordingly. Example with a recipe I use - Water as % of oils set at 38% gives 304g of water but with water set at 32% of oils it's only 256g. Hope this makes sense and happy soaping!

It's been so long ago that you posted this video I hope you get my question. In the video you say to double the Lye amount yet when you pour the 50/50 solution you only poured 4.41? In a 50/50 solution wouldn't that only be 2.2oz of lye? Yet you put the correct amount of additional water 6.15oz. How can that be correct? Please explain. Thank you in advance.

@lisao3041

5 жыл бұрын

No, she poured 8.82 oz of the 50/50 liquid making it 100% lye for the recipe calling for 4.41 ounces of lye. Go to 3:51 seconds where she multiplies it out for the correct amount. Hope you understand this.

So since you pre mix your lye you wont have the heat to "cook" your soap correct? If not would you have to add an external heat source?

@janieh473

2 жыл бұрын

Lye doesn't "cook" your soap. It causes a chemical reaction that turns the oils of a soap recipe into alkali salts of fatty acids (soap).

Will you teach us how to make bath salt/bath beads?

I saw a video of a lady who used her dehydrator to dry the cold process soaps and they were done in 3 days. Do you know if this is workable? I love the idea of the master batching! Happy thanksgiving everyone and remember to be grateful for your blessings!!

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

I have been following this trend but cannot speak as to its success/failure rate. I am fairly certain that the dehydrator will help to remove excess water from the soap but the effect or lack of on the pH of the soap is unclear. When in doubt, use the tried and true 4 weeks cure method for accurate results.

honestly I'm horrible at math and I'm so confused. how did you get 4.41 × 2? where did the 2 come from? please help I'm new to this ☺

@rogersli

8 жыл бұрын

+JasmineEssentials Dear, as the lye/water solution is 50/50 (well half water) you must double it in order to get to the 4.41oz lye as the receipe needs. So you calculate 4.41oz x 2 = 8.82oz (so there is 4.41oz lye and 4.41oz water in it) and now as the receipe needs more water you just take the amount water needed minus the water already in the lye-water mixture in order to find out, how much water you still need to add: 10.56oz - 4.41oz = 6.51oz - Now, that is the amount of water (or milk of any kind) you still need to add, so the receipe is correct. all clear? ;)

@im4dolphns

7 жыл бұрын

clear as mud :)

@mysisterishow5653

7 жыл бұрын

rogersli omg now i understand. ..thanks!! ☺

@rogersli

7 жыл бұрын

Great! You're welcome! ;)

@robertahubert9155

5 жыл бұрын

@@im4dolphns I'm in the mud with you..I'll just mix as I go. Your comment has me in stiches

Are you putting in 4.41 oz of the 50/50 solution or the 8.82 oz?

Not sure if this video is still being monitored/questions answered? I was wondering two things..... 1. I dissolve sugar in my water before adding the lye to promote bubbles in my soap. Can I do that to the master batched solution? 2. Same question with Silk....normally added to hot lye-water solution to dissolve the Silk...? Thank you so much for this clear explanation! I love all your videos...so calming and educational!

@JerLiesify

8 жыл бұрын

Could always add your silk to your masterbatched lye solution at the beginning, and your sugar later according to each individual batch. the sugar should dissolve in the room temp liquid still, just stir well.

@JerLiesify

8 жыл бұрын

+JerLiesify and also, your solution will heat up again when you add any missing liquid.

Mmmm I feel like a kid that just got out of maths class again.

Wow. Doesn't sound as scary. But I do have one question: When you say you do 50/50 of water & lye....do you take the amount of lye in a recipe you want to make, lets say three times, and measure out that amount of lye out for all three recipes ...then add the same amount of water to equal the lye? Or do you just decide on an amount you want to make and do the 50/50? I hope I am making sense here. Thx You are a lot of help! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

@Luckysevensoaps

10 жыл бұрын

I was wondering this too. Cathy, you normally hit the nail on the head with your videos but this one leaves me confused. Any chance for clarification?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Just premake the 50/50 and then calculate the amount needed per recipe as you go.

@Luckysevensoaps

10 жыл бұрын

so it doesn't matter, I don't need to measure out 50% of any given amount of lye or anything?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Lucky Seven Soaps I don't understand your question and I don't want to answer incorrectly, can you elaborate for me?

@Luckysevensoaps

10 жыл бұрын

My question is the same a ssoaps from home. When you make 50/50 solution, it's just the same parts? so say 12 oz lye and 12 oz water? how do you know you're getting the right amount of lye for your formula??

Hey I don't know if this is being disrespectful or not I'm new to soaping and I just like to know I heard you say and one of your videos that used rainwater is it good for soaping

@soaping101

8 жыл бұрын

+tamieka pringle Yes, you can use filtered rain water.

@royaltydayla0449

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much

Can you also use this method using a very large glass mason jar? I'm sure you can but just wanted to check! Thanks so much your videos are a great help and awesome as always :)

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

I do not advise using mason jars. The plastics I mentioned in the video are unbreakable and heat safe.

@angelzie

10 жыл бұрын

The mason jar would shatter all over the place because of the hight heat level from the lye. I store my solution in HDPE #5 1 gallon jugs.

@BakingNana

10 жыл бұрын

Most laundry detergent bottles are suitable for lye solution. That's what I use. I have 2 - one is plain 50/50 lye water, and the other has silk in it. Of course, I make a lot of soap so I go through it relatively quickly.

@mzimmmerly

8 жыл бұрын

Don't pay any attention to the first reply! Of course mason jars are fine, and probably better than the plastic mentioned, as regards the heat. After all, they were designed for canning foods, often under pressure at heats well over anything the lye reaction could produce. Their only downside, in my opinion, is that they are difficult to pour out of without dribbling contents down the side.

@BakingNana

8 жыл бұрын

No, that's not correct. Lye etches the glass and also results in a sudden temperature change which can cause the jar to shatter. Why do you think you must put hot jars fresh out of the canner on a towel rather than on the cold counter surface? No. 2 or 5 plastic is the safe recommendation.

So technically you’ve created a complete lye solution of 16oz, after added the missing. But it calls for 10.5oz...how does that work? It just has to cure longer?????

How would I go about making hot process soap after Master batching my lye solution say 3 days ago. can I use room temperature lye with warm oils and then continue hot processing as usual. Also how would I use the masterbatch lye method in hot processing soap if I wanted to make a milk soap do I add the milk to the lye solution and then the oils or add the milk later in the process.

@gio_binoh

5 жыл бұрын

Similar to my questions

@robertahubert9155

5 жыл бұрын

Watch the video again. It answers all your questions..

Well, I'll be. At first glance, appeared difficult... but so simple. Thank you!

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

It really is basic calculations. Glad I could present in a easy to understand way :)

I don't see the point of doing this unless your using homemade lye from ashes. Id rather keep Lye dry for saftey.

So this means we add 10.56 ons of water to the lye water mix?

@splendidgracefarms4649

5 жыл бұрын

Blulu Mwaquepajoo You would only need 6.15oz of water (or Milk) to meet the water amount. You already have 4.41oz of the water from the lye solution since it’s a 50/50 mix. I hope that helped! ☺️

Are your "equal amounts" by weight or by volume measure?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

By weight.

Is it possible to use this method with KOH(potassium hydroxide)?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

I am sure it is possible. Please do your research before hand.

How do you know how much water and lye to master batch

@inaturalbodybysoniabdorsey4809

6 жыл бұрын

michelle motsinger It would depend on your soap planning. For example, you may have 5 different recipes you want to make. In this case you would have the lye and water amounts provided (via the recipes). Your planning could include to master batch based off the total amounts of lye and water called for in the 5 different recipes. Additionally, you would have the flexibility to incorporate other liquids like cream, milk, aloe Vera juice, etc. into your different recipes each time you would make one of those recipes. I hope this helps you understand why masterbatching lye water can save you time (because you would always have a room temperature lye water solution to work with) and help with planning your soap making. Personally, I love being able to do this on Sunday night and know that one part of my work week is done! I hope this gives you a better understanding. Great question!

Will you still be posting a video about Formulating a recipe at some point?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

Yes, absolutely :)

Would canning jars work?

@soaping101

5 жыл бұрын

No. The lye can leach into the glass and weaken it causing cracks.

When you measure 50/50 is that by weight?

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

By weight

mhhmmm,... you told to doubble the 50/50 solution from 4.41 tp 8.82 but your scale shows that you pouring 4.41 into the measuring cup so im a bit confused now ..

@soaping101

10 жыл бұрын

The scale was functioning incorrectly.

@cabosunsoap4724

9 жыл бұрын

soaping101 I am an experienced soap maker. In my haste to make as many batches as possible yesterday following your video, I ignored my gut instinct and went with the instructional part of the video showing the scale. I am now rebatching 4 batches of soap HP with the missing lye water hoping they turn out. Sometimes experienced soap makers make the stupidest errors when being over confident :(

What is the best method to store sodium hydroxide - thank you!

i know this is childish but when I took a quick look at the video name I thought it said "Masturbating lye solution" I was very concerned!

@luisacalix9826

9 жыл бұрын

Jajaja me to!♡

@mcguyverworkshop4670

9 жыл бұрын

kaitlynbyi I saw that too - lol! I'm in the dirty mind boat as well

@billeeburkhart6630

5 жыл бұрын

So did I, it's like when you were in school and you had a lot of reading to do and you kinda skimmed over it really fast. Now it has just become habit. A bad habit at that.

Ooops, I made a major boo boo. I doubled the lye amt in the recipe, added it to the container to make my soap, then subtracted that amt from the total water amt., and added that in. I.E., 10.56 - 8.81. Guess my last two batches will be lye heavy, huh? lol